Dear Lubbock.—

Hearty thanks for your note.² I am so glad that your Tour answered so splendidly.—³ My poor patients got here yesterday & are doing well;—& we have a second House for the well ones.—⁴

I write now in great Haste to beg you to look (though I know how busy you are, but I cannot think of any other naturalist who w^d be careful) at any field of common red clover (if such a field is near you) & watch the Hive Bees: probably (if not too late) you will see some sucking at the mouth of the little flowers & some few sucking at the base of the flowers, at holes bitten through the corollas—⁵ All that you will see is that the Bees put their Heads deep into the head & rout about.— Now if you see this, do for Heaven sake catch me some of each & put in spirits & keep them separate.— I am almost certain that they belong to two castes, with long & short probosces. This is so curious a point that it seems worth making out.— I cannot hear of a clover field near here.—

Pray forgive my asking this favour, which I do not for one moment expect you to grant, unless you have clover field near you & can spare $\frac{1}{2}$ hour

In Haste— Yours most sincerely | C. Darwin